"They just let you go?" Ali asked utterly amazed.
"Yeah, pretty much. They wanted to ask me a few questions and then that was it. They let me out, I met up with Littlefoot in the professor's lab, Jill escorted us to the entrance and we walked out free," Jason said simply shrugging his shoulders.
"So you mean after all the trouble they caused us of bursting in here and grabbing you, they just wanted to ask you a few questions?" Cera asked angrily. Jason nodded.
"What did they ask you Jason?" Ducky chirped jumping down from Spike's back.
"Really weird stuff about my childhood and my mother. They asked me things as if I was a creature from another planet! They mostly wanted to know about my mother's research but I don't understand why they needed to ask me about it; they could have just asked Professor Baxter since he was the head of the project."
"Humans are so weird," Cera blurted out hoping Jason would find it offensive. Instead he found it quite humorous and laughed.
"So what now? Do the humans plan to leave the Great Valley?" Littlefoot asked.
"I don't know. I heard plans that they were supposed to be looking for a way to reactivate the doorway that brought them here so I'd think so," Jason replied shrugging again.
"If they leave, will you go with them Jason?" Petrie cawed innocently. Jason flinched in surprise as all eyes were now fixed on him awaiting his answer.
"I…erm…I…" Jason stammered uneasily. Everyone leaned in closer.
"Littlefoot…Jason…" a soothing voice called from somewhere in the distance.
"That's Grandma," Jason said silently breathing a sigh of relief.
"Okay. See you guys tomorrow," Littlefoot said turning to head in the direction of Grandma Longneck's call. The gang gave them one last "bye" in unison before receiving bedtime calls of their own.
Walking back home, Jason found himself stargazing as he strolled with Littlefoot beside him. Littlefoot looked at him as he marched blindly onwards with his view firmly fixed on the night-sky that was fast approaching. He could feel something burning inside him that he wanted to ask Jason but judging from his earlier stutter, he didn't know if he would give him a straight answer.
"Umm…Jason?" Littlefoot asked unable to hold it in any longer.
"Huh? Oh, yeah Littlefoot?" Jason said trying hard not to break his unfocused gaze as he awaited Littlefoot's question but he feared he already knew what it was he was going to ask.
"About…what Petrie said…you know," Littlefoot said struggling with his words.
"I was afraid you were going to ask," Jason said slowly. Littlefoot felt dirty for asking but he couldn't withhold the temptation. It was a deep and meaningful question despite being a very simple one.
"So…if the humans were to return to where they came from, would you…go with them?" he asked finally. Jason dropped his head and sighed.
"What do you want to hear? Would you prefer I stayed here or do you think I should go back to the year 2113?" he said tensely. Littlefoot was shocked by his response. He had managed to turn the question around put him in the spotlight.
"I dunno Littlefoot. I feel I have done enough damage to this realm as it is. I don't want anything else to happen to you or the Great Valley; so in that sense, I feel I should return to the human world." Littlefoot felt his stomach sink suddenly on hearing this.
"But…then again. I've never seen such a beautiful landscape and I doubt I will ever see another as radiant and tranquil. Also, I'll have nothing to go back to. With no family or friends and the Red Phoenix Laboratory squadron hovering over me every minute of every day, I'll never feel safe or cared for. In that aspect, I don't want to leave this place. Never in a million years." This statement made Littlefoot's spirits rise just as the previous had made it drop. He smiled and Jason smiled back.
"To be honest, it's not something I want to think about and I did feel angry when Petrie asked that in front of everyone. But it's a decision I guess I'm going to have to face eventually," he sighed.
"Don't worry Jason. Either way it's your choice. I'm…I'm sorry I asked you…" Littlefoot said guiltily.
"Hey. There's no need to be sorry. I should have seen it coming. Anyway, let's get home." Wrapping his arm over Littlefoot's neck, they both walked back home where Grandma and Grandpa Longneck stood waiting to see them into bed.
The next morning, Jason and Littlefoot both woke up with a start. Their night had been restless, tormented by nightmares of monsters and other strange beings attacking and destroying everything in their path. Littlefoot jumped up in a cold sweat, panting and Jason fidgeted so much he fell out of his tree, landing rather heavily on his back.
"Jason? Are you alright?" Littlefoot asked between breaths.
"Ooooo! Yeah, just about…don't think anything's broken," Jason hissed rubbing the base of his spine, "What a night. I had the craziest dream…"
"Yeah, me too! It was about strange monsters attacking everyone and everything," Littlefoot said having just reclaimed his breath.
"No way! That's what my dream was about. Mad creatures on some sort of hell-bent rampage! Weird!" Jason gasped in surprise. He sat up and felt something under him. He quickly jumped up and found that the device Professor Baxter had given him was laying in the dew sparkled grass.
"What's that white thing? Isn't that the thing that human gave you?" Littlefoot asked.
"Yeah, it's a Frequency Amplifier I think Professor Baxter called it. He said he'll use it to get in contact with me if he needs me. It hasn't done anything yet," Jason said quickly hooking the small, white box behind his ear again. Hopping to his feet (and Jason doing likewise), Littlefoot looked around to find that both his grandparents had disappeared.
"Where are Grandma and Grandpa?" Littlefoot said a little anxious.
"I dunno. Where could they have taken off to this early?" Jason said curiously having their absence brought to his attention.
"Shhh! Listen…" Littlefoot then said raising his head up high.
"What's wrong?" Jason asked straining to listen to his surroundings.
"Sounds like some sort of commotion going on in one of the fields…" Littlefoot said slowly.
"C'mon. If it's got anything to do with those Red Phoenix guys, there's bound to be trouble," Jason barked grabbing his bag and following Littlefoot towards the sounds of travelling dinosaurs.
Arriving in an overcrowded field near the Green Meadow, Littlefoot and Jason looked at all the adult dinosaurs clustered in such a small area as they chattered excitedly. Weaving in and out of the many pairs of legs, they found the rest of the gang standing at the very front. Their views were transfixed on something.
"Hey guys! What's going on here?" Littlefoot chirped happily.
"The humans are moving, they are," Ducky said pointing at fleet of uniformed men marching through the field, all carrying heavy-looking equipment and a variety of black bags.
"Do you think they are migrating?" Ali asked naively.
"Nah. Humans don't run on instincts like migrating," Jason said chuckling.
"Where are they going then?" Cera asked, "Think they might finally be leaving?"
"Cera! You promise you no say bad things like that!" Petrie snapped.
"Don't worry about being caring Petrie. I've decided that I'll cross that bridge when I get to it."
"Bridge? What bridge? What a bridge anyway?" Petrie then asked scratching his head.
"Never mind," Jason said shaking his head. He then looked up and saw Jill walking with a rather hefty looking bag she had perched on one shoulder. Jason hurried up to her and the gang slowly followed but kept their distance. As Jason approached her, the entire field fell silent in anticipation.
"Hey Jill," Jason called from a couple of metres from her. As Jill turned to face him, several men dropped their bags and cocked their rifles. Jason instantly threw his hands up in innocence and the gang froze in their tracks.
"Take it easy guys, weapons down," Jill said calmly pushing down the barrel of the nearest man's gun. She signalled for them to carry on as she placed her bag down, wiped her brow with her beret and then looked at Jason and the petrified gang behind him.
"Phew. Thought those blokes were gonna go psycho or something," Jason said relieved.
"They're just following orders. If they put up and shut up, they don't get stick from the captain," Jill said pulling her hair out of her eyes with a free hand. She then looked up past Jason and saw Littlefoot and the others standing nervously a little further back.
"Who are they? Friends of yours?" she asked pointing to them.
"Yeah. C'mon guys, it's safe," Jason called to them and waving them over. After exchanging an uneasy glance each, they slowly moved up to Jason and Jill one by one.
"Guys, this is Jill. Jill this Cera, Petrie, Ducky, Spike and Ali. You've met Littlefoot already I believe," Jason said happily. Jill looked at each of them in turn.
"Quite a mix," she said with a snigger. Not long after the introduction, the gang found themselves engaged in a conversation with Jill as she spoke a little about her experiences and the mass of questions they all threw at her like hailstones.
Finally, Jill picked up her bag again and placed it on her shoulder.
"Well, it was fun talking to you lot but I've got a job to do," she said about to take off.
"Where are you heading with all those black bags?" Jason asked.
"We're trying to set up a suitable extraction point that the doorway will work from. We've got to assemble the machine up on the outskirts of the Valley. After I'm done, I'll come down and speak with you guys again." With a final wave, the gang wished her luck and she headed off towards the woods.
Once Jill and the rest of the Red Phoenix squad had marched out of the field. All the inhabitants that were watching them cautiously turned to each other and started chattering again. Jason, Littlefoot and the others walked back into the centre of the field where they bumped into Grandma and Grandpa Longneck.
"Oh, hiya Grandma, Grandpa," Littlefoot said looking up at them.
"Good morning children," Grandma Longneck said sweetly. She then turned to Jason, "Jason. What did that human girl say? Everyone was eager to know what you were talking about."
"Her name is Jill, Grandma. She's really nice. She's not like those other humans with those weird 'fire-sticks'," Littlefoot jumped in. Everyone else nodded in agreement.
"We spoke with her, we did," Ducky chirped.
"What did she say?" Grandpa Longneck asked. The gang hadn't realised that all the dinosaurs who were standing in the field had now formed a circle around them to listen in.
"It sounds like the Red Phoenix Group are looking for a place to set up the machine that brought them here in the first place. They need to be in the right place otherwise it won't work," Jason said.
"Jill say that they go to the edge of Great Valley to work there," Petrie croaked perching on Littlefoot's head.
"I don't think they will be causing too much trouble up there. They just need to set up, try the time door out and take it back down. How much damage can they create?" Jason said simplistically.
"Probably quite a lot if they go too far!" Cera blurted out ignorantly. Jason threw her a dirty look and frowned.
"If we just let them do what they've got to do, they'll leave with minimal fuss I'd imagine," he continued.
"Alright, let us leave the humans with what they have planned," Grandpa Longneck announced to the ring of elders surrounding them.
Slipping out of the circle, the seven kids decided to go and amuse themselves away from the crowded fields of the Green Meadow.
"Where should we go now?" Ali asked as they cut through another thicket.
"I dunno. The Tall Trees?" Jason suggested.
"We've been there loads of times! Isn't there somewhere else we can go?" Cera whined.
"The Bubbling Mud?" Petrie said taking off to land on Cera as Spike helped himself to a bushy fern.
"Oh no. I do not feel like getting all muddy, no, no, no," Ducky said sliding off Spike as well before he threw her into the bush he was eating from.
"Hey, where's that path go?" Jason asked pointing up a steep track that led high up into the rocky hills.
"That goes up to Two Boulder Pass. You can see the whole Great Valley from up there on Great Valley Lookout," Littlefoot said proudly.
"How about it? Fancy going up there?" Jason said invitingly. With no other suggestions (and once they managed to pull Spike away from his feeding spot), everyone trudged up the steep path that led up into the rocky hills of the Valley.
After a long trek, the gang finally reached Two Boulder Pass and the spot Littlefoot described as Great Valley Lookout. Despite all being tired from the climb, Jason and Ali looked out over the cliff edge and down into the Great Valley completely awestruck. As Littlefoot had said, every inch of the Valley could be seen from this point in all its splendour and magnificent beauty. Even the thick, cotton-like clouds enhanced the effect as rays of sunlight pierced through them like shimmering rolls of golden ribbons.
"Wow! This is wonderful!" Ali gasped with her jaw dropping open.
"Whoa! This view is something else! Such natural beauty…it's incredible!" Jason gawked suspended in the moment. Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie and Spike looked at each other smiling at Jason and Ali's reaction. They were so impressed with their homeland, it made them feel proud. Approaching the cliff edge, the others stood next to Jason and Ali to admire the view for themselves as they began pointing out landmarks.
"Look! There's the Bubbling Mud!" Ali said, "Oops! Someone just slipped in!"
"Hey! You can even see some parts of the Mysterious Beyond! Over there! Is that Saurus Rock?" Jason asked pointing out a rock spire in the distance.
"Oh lookie! There is Threehorn Peak!" Ducky announced following Spike's gaze.
"Look, down there! That the Great Wall? It look so small from up here!" Petrie cawed in amazement from the air.
"Those humans are down there! What are they doing?" Cera said looking in Petrie's direction.
"Some of them are on the other side of the wall," Ali said slightly confused.
"What are they doing that for?" Cera asked in a stupefied tone. Jason leaned over to get a closer look.
"They look like ants down there. Huh? They're all scattering in panic. What are they doing?"
Watching the tiny humans scurrying around, the gang stood perplexed. Suddenly, there was a tremendous explosion that shook the entire Valley. Completely caught off-guard, the gang all dived down as the sounds erupted over the area, the ground shook and a thick cloud of smoke and dusty debris flew into the air. One by one, they got to their feet and slowly peered over the edge. As the blanket of dust cleared, everyone gasped in horror.
"Wha…What happened?!" Cera stammered.
"The Great Wall!!! It's…gone!!!" Littlefoot cried.
"Those idiots! They just blew a hole in the Great Wall! That's what they were doing! It probably just looked like a pile of rubble to them," Jason scowled.
"What are we going to do now?" Ducky asked exasperatedly.
"We'd better get down there. Come on!" Littlefoot shouted urgently before shooting off down the rocky path back down into the Valley.
Charging headlong through the woodland, Jason, Littlefoot and the others came to the base of the Great Wall where Red Phoenix squad members were setting up the Chronos Doorway. One guard who spotted the seven of them called for them to halt but they barged past knocking him out of the way in anger. As commotion built up, more guards headed them off, guns pointing dangerous at them. Stopping in their tracks, the gang started arguing with the men.
"What's going on here?" a commanding voice bellowed over them.
"Jill?" Jason called out.
"Jason? What are you guys doing here? You shouldn't be up here, you could get hurt."
"Jill! You've got to stop!" Jason pleaded. Jill shook her head in confusion.
"What? Why?"
"You stupid humans! Do you realise what you have just done? You just destroyed the Great Wall!" Cera shouted angrily.
"The what? We were just clearing a path. We had to use explosive since we didn't have the equipment to shift it all," Jill said naively unaware of what damage her team had just caused.
"The wall of boulders you just obliterated was this Valley's main defence line! It's a natural boundary that protects their home from the threat of predatory invasion!" Jason cried desperately.
"You've got to put it back, yep, yep, yep!" Ducky pleaded.
"I…I don't understand, what are you…" Jill started but the area was suddenly filled with a scream from one of the team members. Everyone whipped around in shock as the screaming continued and then died slowly.
"What the hell was that?" Jill shouted as a private sprinted up to her.
"Lieutenant! You better come take a look at this…it's Mitchell!" he reported. Jill headed off with the private. Confused, the gang followed her.
Passing through the gaping hole that marked the remains of the Great Wall, the gang came to halt just behind a ring of men crowding around something. Pushing their way through, Jason found Jill in the centre examining the cause of the crowd with his friends close behind. Peering over her shoulder, they gasped in horror as they saw a mangled corpse of a man lay on a pile of rocks; his left arm and right leg were completely tore from his body as it lay in a growing pool of its own blood. Disgusted, the gang backed away unable to look at it anymore.
"My God! What the hell happened here?" Jason said feeling a little nauseated. Jill emerged from the crowd to join them.
"That was Steven Mitchell. Looks like he was attacked by something with a taste for blood," Jill said gravely, "what exactly have we uncovered here?"
"Everything outside the Great Valley is called the Mysterious Beyond," Littlefoot said.
"It is very hard for leaf-eaters to survive out there. Leaf-eaters always live in fear of sharpteeth who walk around outside Great Valley," Petrie added solemnly.
"Even if you do live out there like my herd, you always have to move otherwise they will track you down and the next thing you know…you're a meal for a pack of hungry sharpteeth," Ali said speaking from experience.
"The Great Valley is protected by the Great Wall and it keeps the sharpteeth out, but now you blasted a gigantic hole in it and now any kind of dinosaur could walk straight in!" Cera shouted angrily.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know what…" Jill began but the area suddenly erupted into screams and the sound of gunfire. In amongst the frantic firing, Jill radio crackled into life.
"Lieutenant! We're under attack here! These raptors jumped out of the bushes and…Damn!…Get it!…I can't hit it!…we're getting slaughtered here…we need back up…Oh!…Dammit!…AAARRRGGGHHHH!!!!……………………………………"
"Come in!…Report your status!…Answer!!!" Jill roared into her radio but it just fizzed with static.
"What's going on?!" Jason cried anxiously.
"You kids better get out of here! We've got something attacking the squad. Go back down into the Valley and warn your families!" Jill ordered flicking her assault rifle around to her front and loading a live round into its chamber.
"But what about you? You can't take them on alone!" Littlefoot protested.
"Just go! Before you get hit in the crossfire! Go! NOW!" she barked. Just as she was about to take off, a blood-curdling roar was heard from behind. Snapping around, Jill and the gang saw a raptor standing on a pile of rocks behind them. With a final roar, the raptor leapt off the rock and tried to pounce on them. With no time to move, the gang slammed their eyes shut and screamed in fear as it was about to land on top of them and seize them with a flick of its jagged jaws. Before the raptor fell on them, there was a loud crack of gunfire and a squeal of pain. Opening their eyes, they saw the raptor fly awkwardly off to one side and Jill standing over them with her mighty rifle pointing at it.
"Run! NOW! Warn your families! GO!" she shouted. Without uttering another word, the gang took off and sprinted down into the Valley.
On their way back down, they saw more men fighting with hoards of carnivorous dinosaurs. Absolute pandemonium had broken out as dead bodies of both men and raptors littered the ground as they charged through the battleground watching some raptors getting mown down by machine-gun fire whilst other men were being pounced on and their capturers feasting on their flesh. Blindly, they ran down into the Great Valley to warn the others that carnivores had now invaded their home.
Chapter 39: Like a Dagger to the HeartFrom their positions, standing in the Green Meadow, Grandma and Grandpa Longneck, Mr. Threehorn and a large variety of different dinosaur looked over in the direction of the manic sound of gunfire and explosions. Deeply concerned what may be occurring up on the hillside from behind the dense rows of trees, everyone stood desperate to learn more, but too scared to move.
"What do you think could be happening up there dear? Grandma Longneck asked giving her partner a troubled glance.
"I'm afraid I don't know. I hope that Littlefoot and Jason are safe wherever they are," Grandpa Longneck replied with a concerned tone.
"It sounds like those humans are causing more damage to our Valley. We can't just sit here idly and allow them to destroy our home!" Cera's father shouted indignantly. A number of dinosaurs around him nodded and chattered agreeing.
"They have invaded our home for long enough," a male parasaurolophus said angrily.
"They are destroyers! They must go!" another dinosaur called from behind.
"Those humans have delayed our migration for too long. Because of them, we can no longer reach the High Hills via the routes our forefathers took," one longneck in Ali's herd shouted adding to the heat of the argument. Heated cheers and angry comments flew into the air as more wild accusations were chanted above the previous wave.
"Please my friends! We must not drop our differences on the humans now! We must remember Jason's warning that they are particularly dangerous and that confronting them may result in unnecessary harm," Grandpa Longneck said trying to form some sort of order amongst the squabbling adults.
"You know what caused all this? It's that human boy that showed up all that time ago. This is all Jason's fault this is happening to us!" Cera's father shouted gruffly.
"That's not true! Jason is not responsible for the actions of these humans. He is not to blame!" Grandma Longneck said crossly.
"Well, if it wasn't for him we wouldn't be in this mess!" he continued with no remorse.
"If it was not for Jason, a number of us would not be alive! Our Littlefoot for one and you for a second," Grandpa Longneck barked in Jason's defence. Mixed thoughts now riddled the quarrelling dinosaurs as they started to babble again.
Before anymore arguments could break out, Littlefoot, Jason and the rest of the group tore from out of the trees at full speed. Their panic-stricken steps attracted the adults' attention immediately. Screeching to a halt at their feet, they began to yell and shout excitedly.
"Grandma, Grandpa!" Littlefoot cried desperately.
"What is it Littlefoot? Why the rush?" Grandma Longneck asked trying to calm him down.
"We got problems! BIG problems!" Jason forewarned panting loudly.
"Yeah. Big problems with large pointy teeth and sharp claws!" Petrie babbled unhelpfully.
"I don't understand children. What are you trying to say?" Grandpa Longneck asked shaking his head in confusion.
"Sharpteeth are in the Valley! They are!" Ducky flapped, jumping up and down on Spike who was nodding hurryingly. The surrounding adults gasped and their panicked chatter started again.
"Jill and the other humans are trying to fight them now!" Ali said urgently.
"That's impossible! No sharptooth can get around the Great Wall! It's impregnable!" Cera's father bellowed arrogantly.
"But Daddy! Those stupid humans destroyed the Great Wall! It's not there anymore!" Cera protested rather unsupportively.
"What! Is this true? Could that explain the banging we heard earlier?" Ducky's mother cried as she approached Ducky and Spike.
"Yes. Jill and her team must have used some sort of explosives to blow up the Great Wall. They…they didn't know what it was…I-i…It-it probably just looked like a pile of gravel to them!" Jason stammered. More gasps of terror filled the area before everything fell silent suddenly. Jason then turned and realised that the elders had crowded around them but all eyes were fixed on him as if he was something on display. Beginning to feel extremely self-conscious he looked up at his grandparents for an answer. They looked at each other but didn't reply. Jason could sense the icy glares of the other inhabitants from behind him.
"What? What is it?" Jason suddenly blurted out unable to sustain the tormenting eyes constantly gazing at him.
"This is your fault!" one shout erupted from the crowd after a time.
"YEAH! Your kind is responsible for this!" another sounded over the previous.
"Wha…! I…err…I…" Jason stuttered horrified.
"You humans have caused nothing but misery to our beloved Valley!"
"Yeah! Go back to wherever you came from!"
"Dirty creatures! Leave this place!"
"Leave us in peace!"
The crowd began jeering uncontrollably. Jason was totally perplexed by the sheer mass of shouting and insults he was taking. He blocked his ears trying not to listen but they were much too loud to be silenced. His world seemed to be spinning around him chaotically. The gang watched dumbstruck as the unruly crowd continued to offend Jason as Grandma and Grandpa Longneck tried desperately to keep the peace. Unable to withstand the torturing comments, Jason fled the meadow deeply upset. The gang turned just in time to see Jason charge blindly into the forest to escape the madness.
"Jason! Wait!" Littlefoot hollered after him as he disappeared from sight.
"No go Jason! Come back!" Petrie shouted trying to get his voice above that of the squabbling adults. Littlefoot was getting ready to chase after him but his grandfather stepped in his way.
"No Littlefoot. I think it is better that Jason is left alone for a while…" he said softly. Littlefoot wanted to argue but he nodded in acknowledgement. His eyes returned to the thicket Jason had just run through and he sighed despairingly.
"…Oh…Jason…" Ducky sighed heavily as Spike whimpered in unison.
Tears began flooding his eyes as he tore negligently through the undergrowth. Branches whipped against him cutting his arms as he shoved them out of the way in mid stride. The insults echoed and replayed in his head over and over forcing him to run faster despite his aching muscles screaming for him to stop. Ignoring his pain, he continued to hurtle deeper into the Valley with no idea where he was going, but it didn't matter. He just wanted to distance himself from every living thing that could possibly throw more verbal abuse at him. As he passed from one thicket, through a clearing and into the next set of bordering trees, Jason could feel his chest pulling tight and he felt his throat becoming dry. His airways felt raw as he mindlessly ploughed through the trees and bushes that thrashed against him, slashing at his arms and face. Coming into another clearing, Jason tried to leap over a large, looping tree root but it caught the tip of his trainers causing him to trip. Wailing, he fell to the ground and rolled until he finally came to rest, face down, under a tall tree that shook gently on the soft wind.
Unable to stand from sheer exhaustion, Jason sat up puffing heavily. Fighting to keep his tears back, he folded up, hugging his knees. He wanted to just die right there as the insults continued to burn his insides like wild fire on a dry heath. He felt dirty and unworthy of anyone's trust as he sat under the swaying tree as its leaves fell tenderly like red and gold snowflakes.
"Damn them! Damn ALL of them! They've mess up my life yet again! Damn them all to hell!!!" Jason shouted pounding the ground, throwing the leaf-litter high into the air.
"I'm just another freak to them! They don't care! They don't give a crap about me! Damn those Red Phoenix bastards! When will it stop?…When will all this madness come to an end?…When can I find a home that's not invaded by those power sapping leeches?…They don't give a damn about anything but themselves! I'm just another statistic to them…just another mindless, pathetic creature that doesn't belong anywhere! I hope those raptors tear them all to shreds! I hate them!…I HATE THEM ALL!!!" Jason screamed through his tears until his voice was hoarse.
"What am I going to do now? They've screwed up everything here as well. The Great Valley's gonna become a festival for those raptors…I have to do something…I can't allow those morons to destroy this realm as well as our own! No! They've stepped in my way too many times. Littlefoot, Grandma, Grandpa and the others would never give up on me…I can't lay my hang-ups on them because of their mistake." Jason stood up shakily and wiped his tear-stained face. He wanted so badly to right the wrongs of the Red Phoenix Group but he didn't know how. Just as he was thinking of what to do, Jason heard ear-splitting screams echoing from the direction he had just run from.
"Oh my God!!! Grandma! Grandpa!" he gasped, "Oh man! Littlefoot, Cera, Ali and the others are in that meadow! They're under attack!" Without another word, Jason took off, double backing to return to the meadow he had fled. Still, he was without a plan but if he was going to prove his loyalty to the dinosaurs, he had to fight alongside them. And if it came to it…he would die alongside them as well…
Ripping back through the undergrowth to return to the Green Meadow, Jason's mind raced with horrible thoughts of what would become of the Valley had the raptors successfully taken over and defeated the leaf-eaters. Even if the raptors were forced to flee, with the Great Wall now gone, wave after wave of bigger and more vicious predators would attack and eventually, the Great Valley would fall. Shaking his head to rid himself of such foul thoughts, Jason could hear the terrified shouts, screams and roars of dinosaurs coming from field ahead. As he burst through the last thicket to enter the meadow, he froze with utmost fear and disgust at the sight he saw. Every inhabitant was fleeing for their lives, scrambling in all directions. Their attempts to escape into the surrounding woodland were dashed as the raptors circled them, blocking their exits. Everyone looked absolutely petrified as they backed away slowly further into the Green Meadow. Leaving the raptors to roar triumphantly at their capture. Jason's burning rage was growing more and more as he watched everyone cower in fear at the grimy clutches of the carnivorous monsters.
Just as he worked up the courage to charge out screaming, a tremendous roar filled the area followed quickly by a swoosh of a mighty object being dragged through the air. Jason looked up to see Grandpa Longneck swinging his hefty tail dangerously as it connected with the face of a stalking raptor who came too close. Like a cannonball, the raptor was launched skywards and landed heavily in the thicket, rattling a tree on impact.
"We must protect our home and our families! We will not back down to these hideous creatures! We must stand up and FIGHT!" he yelled valiantly.
"YES! This is OUR home! And we WILL protect it from any threat or danger!" Cera's father added boldly pawing the ground. The meadow suddenly erupted with spirited cheers that brought a smile to Jason's face.
Suddenly, Jason looked on and saw a number of children stood in the centre of a ring, shielded by the adults. In amongst the frightened dinosaur children, Jason spotted Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie, Spike and Ali all looking around, eyeing the outer circle of raptors fearfully. Just as he was about to call out to them, Jason heard the sound of heavy breathing from a few metres behind him. Snapping around, Jason saw another raptor poking its head out of a bush, hissing loudly.
"WHOA! Geez!" Jason wailed leaping up from his seat from behind his hedge before running into meadow as his stalker tried to pounce on him as he moved. Unintentionally drawing attention to himself, Jason sprinted across the green to reach the protective circle of leaf-eaters. Both the raptors and the elders looked up to see Jason running hastily towards them.
"Look!" Ducky gasped pointing across the field.
"It's Jason!" Ali cried in shock.
"What?!" Littlefoot called out awestruck.
"It true! Jason coming this way!" Petrie yelled from overhead as he took to the sky for a clearer look. All six of them ran to the edge of the circle that shielded them and began calling for Jason to hurry. Jason looked up and focused on the gang frantically flapping at him. He smiled at them, temporarily forgetting what he was in the middle of. As he got closer to them, he saw their faces twist into expressions of horror and began shouting more urgently. Slightly confused, he struggled to listen to the random jumble of voices that rang out to him. Straining to listen hard, he suddenly made out a voice from the crowd.
"Jason! Look out! Behind you!" Littlefoot shouted warningly. At that second, Jason turned to look over his shoulder. Horrified, he saw a number of raptors chasing him and they were catching up fast. Despite trying to push himself to go faster, the leading raptor pounced on him, tackling him to the ground. The raptor roared in success as Jason squirmed under its feet with its ugly, arching toe-claw rolling dangerously over his spine.
Puffing from lack of breath and with the full weight of the raptor on his torso, Jason felt death was imminent but he quickly remember his vow that he made before he heard all the chaos breaking out. "If I die…I die as one of them…" he thought as he looked up and saw Littlefoot and the others looking down on him all very upset. With one free hand, he tried to reach out to them. In response, the raptor flicked its toe claw and dug it into his right shoulder. Jason winced in pain as it pierced his flesh and his arm became ice cold and lifeless. Holding back his tears and gritting his teeth so not to scream and alert the other raptors, he fell limply at the incredible pain that tore through his shoulder and arm. Seeming to enjoy in his suffering, the raptor twisted its claw inside his wound making him writhe in agony as on-lookers watched horror-struck and dismayed. Littlefoot felt sick as he watched Jason laying under the raptor as it tortured him on the grass.
The raptors all roared as if to cheer at Jason's capture and began to advance slowly on the circle of leaf-eaters that stood poised, ready to fight, but also watching Jason now collapsed on the ground. Fearing his life was now at an end, Jason wept as he felt a warm liquid begin to soak his clothes and spill out on the grass to the side of him. Wishing he'd just die so his suffering would end, Jason suddenly hear a deep voice bellow into the meadow.
"HEADS UP KID!!!" Weakly, Jason turned his head to see Sergeant Stone charging at him followed by Captain Hunter and a few other men. Jason then saw something flash out of the corner of his eye but the next thing he knew, the raptor that stood over him had been tackled by something and was sent sprawling. As it flew off his back, Jason cringed and screamed in agony as the raptor's claw was ripped out of his shoulder. Rolling over and clutching his wound in excruciating pain, Jason looked up to see the sergeant's Alsatian, Zephyr, was mauling his captor.
"Are you alright?!" Stone asked breathlessly as he kneeled beside him. Captain Hunter and the rest of the small team charged past them, opening fire on the raptors.
"My…my arm! I-I can't move it!" Jason complained picking himself up but collapsed again, holding his flaccid arm. The shoulder of his jumper was damp and bloodstained.
"C'mon kid! We'll patch you up in a sec okay?" Stone replied helping him up. With a quick whistle to call Zephyr over, the sergeant and Jason made their way over to the ring of dinosaurs. Despite being pleased to see Jason had survived his ordeal, everyone looked worryingly at the humans who stood with their rifles pointing at the remaining raptors who seemed apprehensive to advance.
Once the excitement of the humans' arrivals had worn off, Hunter began barking orders to his squad. Relieved to finally be inside the defensive ring of the adult leaf-eaters, Jason fell to his knees as the pain seared through him again but the gang were there instantly to comfort him.
"What are you guys doing here?" Jason asked as Littlefoot lifted him up with his head.
"Got a broken distress call from Jill up in the hills saying that they were ambushed. Told us to cover you," Stone stated glancing over his shoulder but remained turned towards the raptors.
"Jill! Where is she? Is Jill okay?" Ali quickly jumped in.
"Her radio is out of commission. We couldn't get through to her after her team was attacked," Hunter said blandly.
"So…what happened to her?" Cera barked. No one replied. The silence was then broken by impatient roars of the raptors.
"So what now?" Littlefoot said eyeing the row of raptors that was slowly descending upon them. The guards fidgeted uneasy as their fingers floated tensely over their triggers.
"Ummm…I hate to be pushy but those sharpteeth are coming this way!" Cera warned.
"Hope you guys have gotta plan?" Jason said finally finding the strength to stand on his own two feet.
"Everyone stay back. Keep behind us!" Captain Hunter ordered.
"What do you propose to do?" Grandpa Longneck asked.
"We'll cover you whilst you escape," Stone stated.
"But if we make a break for it, they only chase after us!" Petrie cawed.
"Yeah, and you can't fire on us with our backs turned! You're bound to hit one of us!" Jason protested.
"Don't worry we will…" Stone started but another roar from the raptors drew his attention and that of everyone else. Suddenly, they turned and fled into the woods as if to be running in fear of something.
"Huh?" Ali said twisting her face up in confusion, looking at Spike who shrugged.
"Where they going?" Petrie asked dumbfounded. The squadron lowered their weapons and stared at each other.
"What's going on here? Why'd they run off like that?" Cera asked just as shocked as everyone else.
"What now Captain?" Stone asked turning to his commanding officer. Hunter stood in silence for a brief minute or two.
"You two. Go investigate but stay alert," he barked finally tapping the two nearest men. The two men exchanged a nervous glance each before holding up their rifles and walking cautiously over to the bushes where the raptors ran.
A gripping silence glided over the meadow like a light mist as the two men trudged over to the thicket. With baited breath and fluttering hearts, the gang edged closer to the verge of the circle, watching the men creep closer and closer. Upon their arrival at the bush, one man stood back whilst the other searched the surrounding area. After a thorough search, the man holding the bush back signalled back to the captain from across the field. The gang looked up to see Hunter's response. Nodding in acknowledgement, Hunter raised his hand and gestured to them in some sort of coded way that the investigators understood as they quickly disappeared into the woodland. The gang all looked at each other slightly bewildered but quickly reverted their eyesight back to where the men had gone to investigate.
Tension was mounting as nothing could be heard through the rustling of the bordering trees as leaf litter danced on the wind.
"What's taking them so long?" Cera whinged.
"Shouldn't they be back by now?" Ali asked slightly worried.
"They are certainly taking a long time, they are," Ducky said concerned. Suddenly, there was a rustling in the trees ahead. The crowd gasped and the squadron immediately held their guns up ready but Hunter shot his hand in front of them, ordering them to hold their fire. The rustling grew louder and suddenly, faint gunfire could be heard in the distance.
"What's going on over there?" Littlefoot said beginning to tremble. No one answered but they couldn't remove their eyes from the shrubbery that was shuffling and shaking. The gunfire had stopped abruptly and it was getting closer. Holding their breath, Jason and the rest of the dinosaurs looked on in fear whilst Hunter, Stone and the remaining few men stood poised to retaliate.
The shuddering of the bushes gradually crept closer to the Green Meadow. Suddenly, something crashed from out of the greenery and collapsed on the ground. It looked injured but was trying to scurry away the best it could.
"It's Chris!!!" Stone said urgently.
"H-H…H-help me!" the man cried terrified whilst trying to crawl towards them. The sergeant started to run towards him.
"Stone! Get back here!" Hunter yelled. Before he could get to him, Stone stopped and saw something leap out from behind its cover. Pouncing on the injured man, a raptor promptly dug its claws into his back and seized him by his neck. Screaming as blood gushed from his wounds, the raptor whipped his head around at an awkward angle making it crack sickeningly before letting him fall limply to the ground.
"CHRRRIIIISSSSS!!!" Stone screamed in anguish seeing his comrade lying lifeless on the grass, blood flooded the area as the raptor then roared into the air. Charging mindlessly towards his friend's killer, Stone was about to open fire when the surrounding bushes shook and more raptors emerged. Horrified, Stone stood helplessly as the raptors headed for him as their first target.
"Crap! It's an ambush!" Hunter cried. Waving his arm over his head, the Red Phoenix team charged shouting warcries. Stone frantically fiddled with his rifle as they raptors approached. Just as he was ready to fire, one raptor leapt on top of him. His captor launched its teeth at his neck but he held his gun in front of its jaws. With its mouth clamped around his weapon, Stone tussled with the carnivore trying to throw it off but the beast was much stronger than he imagined as he felt his arms starting to give under the incredible force of the raptor's head. Sweating profusely, Stone suddenly saw the raptor over him get tackled, whipping it from sight. Relieved, Stone rolled over to see his faithful dog Zephyr was viciously tearing at the raptor's neck, trying to defend his master. Once Zephyr's victim stopped squirming and collapsed dead, he returned to the sergeant, slightly limping, as they returned to the fray. Hunter and his men fought bravely against the raptors. With their heavy-duty rifles, they tore through their enemies but with their unmatchable agility, a number of men fell victim to the jaws of massive army of carnivorous killers whilst the remaining dinosaurs looked on in awe.
"C-c'mon! We've…got to get out of here!" Jason cried struggling with his bleeding shoulder. Grandpa Longneck picked Jason up and placed him on his back as the rest of the leaf-eaters ran for cover in the next field.
Chapter 40: The Green Meadow MeleeBy now, most of the dinosaurs had fled for their lives in fear of being hit by the humans or being a meal to the numerous raptors that were attacking relentlessly. The gang and their relatives had made their way into the next clearing and stopped to listen to the chaos that was erupting on the other side of the trees.
"What are we going to do?!" Littlefoot cried in desperation.
"They should have run when they had the chance!" Cera scorned anxiously.
"They can't break away from the raptors or they'll just follow them," Jason stated as his arm gave another uncomfortable twinge.
"There so many sharpteeth! Those humans can no fight all of them!" Petrie exclaimed.
"Petrie's right! They're gonna get slaughtered out there!" Jason said worryingly.
"Grandpa! Can't we do something?" Littlefoot complained looking up at his grandfather.
"Children! Stand behind us!" Grandpa Longneck ordered, "We are going to have to help the humans."
"Count me in!" Cera's father bellowed circling the gang as did a number of other dinosaurs who chose to remained close to the battle.
"NO! You can't! Bullets are flying everywhere! You'll be killed!" Jason warned.
"Your kind has chosen to fight for us Jason. Despite this valiant gesture, this is our home. We MUST protect it!" Grandpa Longneck said boldly raising his head high.
"YES! Those sharpteeth are going to regret ever stepping into our Valley!" Cera's father called courageously.
"But…you…you can't! You could get caught in the cross fire! Doesn't the fact that death could come for you at any second matter to you?! It's suicide!" Jason pleaded. He flinched again as the torn muscles in his shoulder ached.
"It is a sacrifice worth making my son. For our Valley's future…anything and everything else can be set aside," he replied nobly. Jason sighed defeated as he watched the elders disappear to join the battle.
Jason stamped his feet childish and kicked the dirt up from the ground which made the pain of his gaping wound surge through him almost unbearably.
"Damn them! Why go through with this? The Red Phoenix firm have made a mess of everything yet again!" Jason cursed as he massaged his smarting shoulder.
"Hey, calm down Jason! The grown-ups are going to help," Littlefoot said cowering slightly as he watched Jason throwing a tantrum.
"That's precisely the God damn problem! Because of those prats, your homeland is under attack and the adults could die from stray fire! Aaarrggghhhhh!!! Damn them to hell!!!"
"Whoa Jason! Chill out! If the adults chose to fight, there's nothing you can do," Cera yelled trying to overpower him.
"Don't you get it?! They are going to die out there! How can you guys be so calm?" he continued to whine. No one wanted to confront Jason as he paced up and down agitatedly. Only Cera had to be held back before a fight broke out between the two of them. Everything was deathly quiet as Jason continued to walk back and forth so much that he had started to wear away the grass.
"Oooooohhh! I can't take this anymore! We gotta do something!" Jason said finally frightening everyone within close proximity.
"What! What are you talking about?" Ali cried alarmed.
"I'm going back in there!" he shouted disobediently.
"What! No! You can't!" Littlefoot replied shocked.
"Yeah. You're the one who said you could be kill out there so why should you be able to go and no one else?" Cera said probingly with a sinister smirk. She had been waiting to provoke him ever since the clearing fell silent.
"No start Cera!" Petrie warned landing on her horn and pointing at her face. Already taking offence, Jason frowned and inhaled deeply.
"This should have nothing to do with you guys. Us humans created this mess so we should be the ones to clean it up. It's not fair you lot got dragged into this," Jason said angrily, "dammit! To hell if I'm gonna stand here and just be a spectator in this! I've got to…"
"Shhh!…Listen…the fighting's stopped," Ali gasped interrupting him. The commotion on the other side of the thicket had suddenly stopped. There was no gunfire and no more roars could be heard.
"What happened?" Petrie cawed in awe.
"Is it over? Have the all sharpteeth been defeated?" Ducky asked softly staring through the trees. Without wasting another moment, Jason sped off into the trees.
"Wha…? Jason! Wait!" Littlefoot called after him having just seen him out of the corner of his eye.
Jason tore through the thicket desperate to reach the other side. With the fighting stopping so suddenly, he didn't know what to expect. As he cleared the last bush, he looked, horrified, at the sight he saw. Numerous bodies of men and raptors lay sprawled all over the meadow covered in either bullet wounds or fatal bite marks and removed limbs. Even some bodies of the massive leaf-eaters lay unmoving on the battlefield. Just across from him, Jason could see Hunter, Stone, Zephyr and two remaining men standing with rifles stashed to one side; they were obviously out of ammo. They were holding glowing, luminous blades that resembled machetes which he instantly recognised as Laser Blades. Towering over them from behind, Grandpa Longneck was knelt down injured as was Mr. Threehorn and a few others. In front, stood a few raptors that had obviously survived the fire-fight. It appeared to be a stand off with the raptors opposite the remaining humans and leaf-eaters. Jason looked from his perch behind a low shrub as he tried to see what was wrong with his adopted grandfather who seemed completely incapacitated. Straining to see his injuries, he saw a number of large slash marks on his legs as well as a few weeping holes that trickled blood. Just as he was about to move, Jason was bumped from behind. Yelping a little, he turned to find Littlefoot right up against his nose with the rest of the gang coming through the last row of trees.
"Littlefoot! What the…!" Jason called.
"Shhhh! We came to see how everything was. So what's happening?" he replied.
"Looks like a stand-off! Look if you dare…it's not a pretty sight…" Jason said pointing out into the field. As the rest of the gang approached and stared out into the battleground, they gasped at the terrible sight of bodies lying unresponsive on the floor.
"It's dreadful…" Ali sighed appalled.
"There's daddy! And he's hurt!" Cera cried on seeing her father on his knees.
"Shhhhhh! Keep it down Cera! You wanna get caught?" Jason hissed.
"And Grandpa! He's injured too!" Littlefoot exclaimed. Without warning, both he and Cera launched themselves into the clearing.
"Littlefoot! Cera! Wait a sec!" Jason shouted after them. Ignoring him as he had done to them before, Littlefoot and Cera sprinted across the field to be beside their fallen parents.
Calling out to their folks, Littlefoot and Cera drew the attention of both the humans and the raptors. As their eyes locked with the raptors, they skidded to a halt, quickly wishing they hadn't been so hasty. Grandpa Longneck looked at them fearfully as the raptors shot off towards them.
"Littlefoot! Cera! What the hell are you doing? Have you lost your minds?!" Jason shouted as he approached them.
"What were you doing?" Petrie said sternly. He then looked up and saw the raptors sprinting straight at them.
"Sharpteeth!" Ducky wailed as Spike screeched to halt but rammed into Ali.
"Oh crap! They're heading for right us!" Jason cried starting to run.
"Run for it!!!" Cera screamed following him but the raptors surrounded them before they could get very far. The raptors circled the gang all hissing menacingly. They all huddled in the centre fearing when they would strike. Suddenly, from behind, there was a warcry as Stone made a desperate attack with his incandescent blade. Reacting to his surprise attack, one raptor swung its tail around catching him in the face, knocking him backwards where he felt unconscious from the impact and sheer exhaustion.
"This looks bad guys! Any ideas?" Ali said cringing as the raptors continued to circle them.
"Don't even consider looking at me," Jason said edgily.
"This cannot be happening! Oh no, no, no!" Ducky cried.
"There's no way out! We're doomed!" Cera yelled unhelpfully.
"Thanks for the news update!" Jason replied sarcastically.
Unable to do anything but watch the taunting raptors dance threateningly around the gang, Hunter fell to his knees defeated as Grandpa Longneck tried with all his strength to move but found it was no use. He looked on in horror as the raptors now descended upon them. With nowhere to go, the gang hugged each other in the centre all quivering with fear. They shut their eyes awaiting their fate when a low whistling sounded over the meadow followed by large explosion that erupted on one side of the circle sending everyone in its vicinity flying and sprawling in all directions. Quickly jumping to their feet, Jason, Littlefoot and everyone else snapped around to look in the direction in which the projectile travelled from. Amazed yet completely speechless, they saw a figure standing with a hefty looking grenade launcher giving them cover fire. Towering behind it was a long, multi-barrelled, cylindrical object.
"Who's that?" Cera cried as another explosion erupted next to them throwing dirt into the air as well as a few raptors. Ducky then gasped as she recognised the figure with a flat, black hat cocked to one side.
"Is that?…IT IS! Lookie everybody! It is Jill!" she chirped happily dancing on top of Spike.
"Jill? She's alive?" Ali asked looking in her direction thunderstruck. Jill, looking very beat-up, walked slowly towards them as the raptors regrouped and prepared to attack. Before they got a chance to move, Jill fired her final grenade which detonated dangerously close to the seven of them. The blast threw them backwards, slightly scathed but relatively unharmed. Some of the raptors who remained unphased by her last counterattack began running towards her. Motionless, Jill stood boldly as she watched the raptors charge straight for her.
"Jill! Look out!" Jason yelled to her but she was ready for them. Pulling down the long cylinder strapped to her back, she perched a monstrous looking rocket launcher on her shoulder and took aim.
"What is that?" Littlefoot exclaimed open-mouthed as the group made their way to their fallen parents and the remaining members of Hunter's squad.
"Oh my God! That's the K-27 multi functional rocket launcher! Its street name was the R.Y.N.O! That's a black-listed weapon! How'd you get one of those killing machines!" Jason said astounded.
"Being the biggest company that the human world has ever seen for so many years you honestly think its very own military can't get hold of a few illegal toys?" one man said playfully making him snigger. Returning his gaze to Jill who stood primed to fire. She waited for the ideal time as she wanted to get all of them at the same time. Eyes wide with trepidation, the gang watched as the raptors got closer and closer but Jill had not yet fired.
Finally, Jill saw her moment as the raptors all huddled together and came close enough to pounce. She pulled the trigger but something clicked and nothing happened. Panic-stricken, Jill looked up at the rocket launcher and tapped the keys on its control panel. Just as she readjusted the massive weapon to fire, a raptor leapt into the air and tried to land on her. Dropping the launcher, she instantly rolled away as the others followed suit. From her position, she pulled a small, grenade from her pocket and pulled the pin. The raptors righted themselves and charged again. Jill threw the grenade at their feet as it exploded on impact causing a massive swirl of white energy to burst from its casing and engulfed the raptors. Squealing and roaring in agony, they twisted and wriggled in their suspended prison. Jill quickly ran to the R.Y.N.O and tapped the console again. The computer blipped audibly and she pulled the trigger. The entire field seemed to grow dark as a light beam formed at the turret's exit. In a split second reaction, a white beam shot from rocket launcher striking the raptors causing their muscles to freeze swiftly followed by a large rocket that tore through the air and crackled with stray electricity. Jason and the dinosaurs gaped in awe as the crackling rocket struck the imprisoned raptors that remained floating in mid-air. The electricity snapped and sizzled over them as they all screamed in pain before a ball of light started to engulf them. Simultaneous to the ball growing, the entire sky seemed to be growing darker as if the sun's rays of light were being absorbed into the ball of highly focused, destructive energy.
"What's going on?" Cera screeched as the ball of light grew bigger and bigger.
"Oh my God! It's going to…! Hit the deck!!!" Jason screamed as the ball looked on the verge of bursting. Everyone dove to the ground as the ball of light was sucked in and then exploded with extraordinary power. The shockwave from the blast shook the trees, rattling them and forcing them to arch over dangerously close to toppling. As the forceful wind stopped, everybody slowly removed their hands and feet from their heads and slowly looked up to find that the imprisoned raptors had disappeared. They had been completely eradicated.
As the light from the sun slowly returned to the Green Meadow, Jason looked up to find Jill standing, completely unscathed from the blast, exactly where she was before she fired the awesome rocket.
"Wow!" Petrie gasped with wide eyes.
"Boy! That was amazing!" Ali said gobsmacked.
"Unbelievable…such incredible power…" Littlefoot said slowly. Something at the back of his mind was trying desperately to cry out to him but he couldn't think what it was. Hunter turned to scan the entire meadow. More Great Valley inhabitants were starting to emerge from the bushes to investigate the sudden explosions. Jason, on the other hand, was already making his way to greet Jill. He was a little alarmed to see her staggering around very unstable. Picking up on him heading for Jill, Littlefoot and the others promptly followed.
"Jill…Jill!" he called out to her from across the field running a little awkwardly with his disabled arm that was slowly regaining its strength. Jill turned to him as he stopped in front of her panting.
"Jill that was amazing! You were unreal! You…" Jason started but stopped as Jill suddenly started wavering as if she had been drugged.
"Are you okay?" Jason asked nervously as the rest of the gang pulled up.
I…I…" Jill stammered. Jason looked at her face which looked unnaturally pale.
"Jill?!" Ducky asked also picking up on her unstable stance. Without warning, Ali gave a squeamish yelp of horror, her gaze was fixed on something. Following her eyes, Jason gasped once his view connected with what Ali had seen. A great bloody slash was drawn across Jill's abdomen. The vast wound was bleeding profusely as she gingerly held her hand on it but flinched as she applied pressure. Jason then flicked his eyes back up to her face extremely worried. Jill smiled before dropping to her knees unable to remain on her feet. Jason quickly thrust his good arm under her to catch her before she hit the ground. He scanned over her as the blood continued to flow over her hands, staining her fingerless gloves.
"Oh man! This is bad! C'mon Jill…we've got to get you patched up…" Jason said hurryingly.
"No…no…it's too late for me…" Jill sighed. She could feel her consciousness slowly slipping away with every word she spoke.
"Wh-what are you talking about Jill? C'mon! We got to get you to the professor…he'll sort you out…" Jason said desperately trying to get her to stand.
"Jason…leave me…I've…I've done my duty…I…no longer wish…to participate…in this…anymore. I…I know what they want…they want nothing…but to seek out…unmatchable power and strength…and they'll stop at nothing…to get it…and fulfil their…greedy ambition…"
"Jill…what are you saying? I-I don't understand…" Jason said as Littlefoot and the others crept closer.
"Are you alright Jill? What is the matter?" Ducky asked sweetly making Jill smiled through her pain.
"I-I…I saw you…and Littlefoot…in a dream. Both of you………your………sacred essences…one of heart…and the other…of tears. A warrior…and a guardian…I understood…the riddle behind it. I finally…understand…the legend is true. That's why I…was selected…for the team…not because of my skills…it was something else…the stone…that's all they wanted…the selfish buggers…" Jill coughed sickeningly.
"Take it easy Jill," Ali said slowly.
"Yeah, save your strength," Cera added looking down on her sorrowfully,
"It doesn't matter now…my ill-fated days…fighting with my…conscience are…finally over."
"Don't say that Jill. You're good, you're not like the rest of those black-hearted monsters. You're not one of them," Jason said. He could feel her body becoming heavier as she relied on him to keep her elevated.
"Jason's right. You saved us Jill, you're a hero," Littlefoot said mournfully.
"Thanks Littlefoot, but I'm…no hero. I'm the one…who cause all this…crap in the…first place. This is all…all my fault…I'm…I'm sorry…"
"No! No blame yourself Jill. You no know about the Great Wall, it no your fault," Petrie said trying to make her feel better. Jill smiled but then cringed and fidgeted in pain.
"Jill?" Jason called worryingly.
"Well…this is it…after avoiding death…for this long…it…it finally…caught…up with me. Time to end it…finally…I am finished…"
"No Jill! Keep your eyes open!"
"…I…I…" she gasped. Suddenly Hunter rushed over.
"Lieutenant Fielding! God damn it girl look at me! Stay with me! DO YOU HEAR ME!?! That is an order Lieutenant!" he yelled at her.
"Sir…permission…to be…relieved…of duty…" she said breathlessly but kept smiling.
"I'm afraid that's a nugatory my fine lieutenant. You stay with us here. You're not going anywhere. Understand me?" the captain said. He then saw Jill's eyes becoming increasingly unfocused as she stared at the blue sky.
"…I…I can…see…my…fa-family………again……………" Jill managed to force the words out before sighing heavily.
"Jill?…Jill!" Jason said shaking her limp body.
"C'mon Jill wake up!" Littlefoot called to her. She remained motionless.
"Jill!…JJJJJiiiiiiiiilllllllll!!!!!!"